


Life of A Lightwood-Bane

by heartsdesire456



Series: Max Two 'Verse [18]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Attempted Murder, Family, Gen, M/M, Major Character Injury, Parenthood, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 12:09:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7801330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ringing of his phone on the bedside table woke Magnus up, and he immediately knew that something horrible must have happened.</p><p>Never had a phone call at three in the morning spelled good news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life of A Lightwood-Bane

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is without any warning, but THIS IS THE LAST OF THIS SERIES!
> 
> I won't rule out future little glimpses into the lives of these characters, or potentially little bits about side characters, but this is the last fic of this series.
> 
> Little bit of trivia for you guys I originally shared on my tumblr about this fic: I wrote most of it listening to Ophelia by The Lumineers on repeat because I sort of hate that band which helps make me sad and Ophelia being the one song by them that is playing everywhere now makes me cry in public because my grandmother's name was Ophelia and she is dead.... so yeah. That song depresses me. Helped bum me out enough to write this, lmao.

The ringing of his phone on the bedside table woke Magnus up, and he immediately knew that something horrible must have happened.

Never had a phone call at three in the morning spelled good news.

He snatched the phone up before checking to see who it was, and was surprised when his, “Hello?” was answered by a deep voice instead of a female one.

“Magnus,” Luke said, confusing Magnus’s half-awake brain even more. 

Magnus flicked on his lap, sliding out of bed. “Luke? What’s wrong? Is it Clary?”

Luke let out a heavy sigh and, in the most somber tone Magnus had ever heard from him, he said the words Magnus had feared for years now. “You better get down to the Institute. It’s… it’s bad.”

Magnus’s heart sank so fast that, for a moment, he didn’t even breathe.

~

Magnus felt like a terrible parent for leaving in a portal before Clary got to the house so there was an adult at home with the children while they slept, but they lived so close by he knew that, with his wards, the kids would be okay for five minutes.

And he hoped it was wrong, but if there was any chance he didn’t have five minutes to spare, he wasn’t going to waste any time.

When he stepped out of the portal in the entrance hall of the Institute, Luke was waiting for him and, confusingly, so was Raphael. “What are you two doing together?” he asked thoughtlessly as he stepped from the portal. “And here?”

“It’s a long story that can wait,” Raphael said, reaching out to grip Magnus’s shoulder. 

Luke nodded, clapping a hand on Magus’s other shoulder. “The infirmary,” he said softly, and Magnus’s heart picked up as he saw the look in Luke’s eyes and knew, instantly, that it really wasn’t good.

Magnus didn’t wait for either of them, nor did he know if either of them was coming anyways, as he took off at a run, his sneakers – the first thing he’d found on the floor by the door – slapping against the stone floors as he sped to the infirmary. When he came around the corner, the sight that he was met with outside the doors made him stop in his tracks and he knew, now more than ever, that this could really be his worst nightmare come true.

Maryse and Robert were divorced in all but legality. For years now, they had not lived together. Robert lived in New York at the Institute to be near his kids and Maryse lived in Alicante. Magnus was pretty sure Maryse and Robert were both seeing other people in secret, they were so far from married in any way but name anymore. Because of that, the sight of Maryse Lightwood _crying_ in Robert’s arms outside the doors of the infirmary was what really made it hit home for Magnus that something was very, horribly, terribly bad.

Magnus had seen so many things in his life, but he never once thought he would see Maryse Lightwood cry. He walked in weak, uneven steps as he approached the doors. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurred around the edges. He couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of his own pulse, as if he were underwater, as he walked past Robert and Maryse. He saw silent tears in Robert’s eyes as well as he passed them and reached out a shaky hand to push the heavy, wooden doors open before him.

He took a ragged breath and, as soon as he forced his eyes up and turned his head to the left, his entire world shattered.

Alec lay, pale and unmoving, in one of the beds with two Silent Brothers standing beside him. Jace was on his knees at Alec’s side, elbows braced on the side of the bed as he clung to Alec’s hand and openly cried while Isabelle sat on the floor beside him, looking vacantly at the wall opposite them with the most lost, confused, and empty expression he had ever seen from her, as if she was blank.

Magnus’s hearing rushed back and he heard a pained, choking, ragged breath and realized it was his own. “Alec,” he squeaked, voice barely above a whisper. He half-staggered across the room towards Alec’s unmoving body. “A- Alec,” he choked out, louder now, enough to catch the attention of Isabelle and Jace. He got to the foot of Alec’s bed and sucked in rough, painful breaths as he saw the bloody rags everywhere around the bed and saw the bandages all over Alec’s torso. “Is- is he-“ He couldn’t even finish his question, he just staggered and grabbed onto the bedrail. “ _Alec_ ,” he sobbed.

“It’s not good,” Jace said, his voice hoarse and weak. He had tear tracks down his face and he looked so helpless. “They- they say-“

The Silent Brother nearest Magnus turned to him with his unseeing eyes and spoke. _We have done all we can for him. His strength is fading fast, but his body is also healing. It will simply be a matter of which prevails, healing or fading._

Magnus let out a weak sob, reaching down to rest his hand on Alec’s ankle. “Is- is he in pain?” he asked barely more than a whisper.

 _He is not suffering, no._ The other Silent Brother inclined his head to Magnus. _It would be best if you stayed with him through the night, Magnus Lightwood-Bane. It is possible you possess strengths we do not, High Warlock._

Magnus nodded. “I wouldn’t leave if you tried to force me,” he replied simply, sliding past the Silent Brothers to sit on the edge of the bed and touch Alec’s face. He was burning up, and yet, he was so very pale. “I’m here, Darling,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss Alec’s forehead. “I’m right here. I promise, I won’t leave you.” He bit back a whine. “Just please, don’t leave me either.” He let out a soft sob. “Not yet, Alec. Please, not yet.”

The Silent Brothers moved to the foot of the bed and seemed to be speaking with either Jace or Isabelle in private, but all Magnus could do was curl his fingers around Alec’s and hope that he really was in no pain.

~

One of the trainees had brought Magnus and Isabelle chairs, but Jace refused one. That had been hours ago, now. Isabelle had moved to sleep on one of the other beds, and even then, Jace hadn’t left his spot, kneeling beside the bed. Magnus could only imagine how much pain Jace must be in, kneeling on the stone floor for hours, but he had a feeling Jace was punishing himself. Magnus didn’t know much about what had happened, nobody had wanted to interrupt to tell him, but he could only guess Jace blamed himself for Alec’s injuries. Dawn had come and gone, and outside the windows, the sun was shining bright. The stained glass cast colorful shadows along the length of the room, but all Magnus had eyes for was his husband’s pale skin.

Alec was still hanging on. 

Magnus had stopped caring that Jace was kneeling in silence, holding onto Alec’s other hand, as he spoke to Alec continuously, because he couldn’t bear silence for too long. “You need a haircut,” Magnus said with a weak smile, stroking Alec’s hair out of his face. “Your hair grows so fast. I bet your sister is jealous,” he added with a wet chuckle. He tucked the ends of Alec’s hair behind his ear, smiling when they almost stayed. “Your hair always looks nice no matter what. That gorgeous, messy-haired look works for you.” He exhaled heavily, leaning his elbows on the edge of the bed as he looked up at Alec’s unmoving face. “Please,” he whispered, stroking his forearm slowly. “Please wake up, Alexander.”

After a while longer, the doors opened, startling Magnus into jumping a bit, and when he turned, he saw James coming towards them. “Jace.” Jace lifted his head, his face pale and his eyes dark with pain. James gave him a solemn nod. “Wake up your sister. I need to speak to you both.”

“I can’t-“ Jace cleared his throat, voice hoarse. “I can’t leave him.” Magnus’s heart broke for the way Jace must feel. Magnus loved Alec more than most ever could, he was his husband, but he knew that, though it was different, Jace was the one person who loved Alec as much as he did. Jace was his Parabatai, and Magnus knew there was no way, even with all the love he had for Alec, he could know how it felt for Jace to be facing the possibility of losing the other half of his soul.

“I know, but I need to speak with you both for just a little while, then you can come back,” James promised.

Jace nodded reluctantly and looked up at Alec, rubbing his thumb over Alec’s wrist. “I’ll be back, Alec, I promise,” he whispered, and Magnus could see him holding in the grimace as he stood up after kneeling on stone floor for so long. 

Magnus watched him wake Isabelle up and explain what they were doing, and she leaned over to kiss Alec’s face before they followed James out. Magnus found himself alone with Alec and couldn’t look away from his sallow face. “Usually I love your pale skin, but this is just hurting me, Alec,” he said with a sad smile. He leaned closer, cupping Alec’s cheek in his hand. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” he breathed. He sniffled as a lump filled his throat. “We were supposed to have so many decades left. I haven’t even had my first with you.” He looked down at his wedding ring, and at the Lightwood ring beside it, and shook his head. “One decade is how long it’s been since I met you,” he said with a weak smile. “We’ve been together… nine years next month,” he whispered. “You’re supposed to be the one I spend sixty years with, Alec. Not nine.” 

He looked up at Alec’s face and let out a weak sound. “Jamila and Iman won’t remember you if you die now,” he managed in a strangled tone. The twins had only just turned three. “God, please, Darling, don’t do that to our babies,” he whimpered. “Rafael lost his parents once already. The twins won’t remember you. Max has eternity in front of him and I don’t want him to only have ten years of that with his dad.” He shook his head and let out a weak sob. “I’m not supposed to be a single parent of four children, Alec. I’m supposed to have _more_ children with you.” He laid his head on Alec’s hand, shoulders shaking silently. “Please. Please, don’t go. Not yet. It’s hard enough knowing we only get fifty or sixty years, please don’t make it only ten.”

Magnus lay there, resting his head on Alec’s hip as he looked up at him, one hand curled around the inside of his knee and the other still twined in his limp hand. He cried silently, unable to stop the tears as he watched Alec remain unmoving. It was too quiet. Alec snored. He was too still. He twitched in his sleep. Alec was so lifeless and it broke his heart.

“How is he?” Magnus didn’t even startle, he was too drained. He had no idea how long he had been laying there alone, but he was too tired to even be surprised. He hadn’t heard Maryse entering the room and walking up to the bed, but even though her speaking was a surprise, he didn’t care.

Magnus shrugged weakly. “No change.” Neither Robert nor Maryse had been in at all, which he found odd, but the more he thought about it, now, the less he could imagine wanting to have to sit and look at one of his children in the shape Alec was in when he could instead just wait outside for news. “Who has our children?” he asked tiredly.

“Robert,” Maryse answered, and he nodded tiredly. He didn’t expect to speak to her further, but she continued. “I haven’t said five words to Alec that weren’t about a mission or the Institute in about five years.” Magnus knew that, but he was confused as to why she was telling him now. “You wouldn’t do that.” He lifted his head and turned to look at her in confusion, but she was just staring at Alec hollowly. “I stopped speaking to my child. I actually stopped speaking to my child out of shame over the Downworlder he married and the Downworlder children he adopted.” She shook her head, swallowing visibly. “And yet you, a Downworlder, would never go five years without speaking to your son.”

Magnus didn’t even have it in him to have any emotional reaction in any direction. He was so scared for Alec and so drained that he really couldn’t manage to summon any feelings at all. “I’m old, Maryse,” he said, and in that moment, he felt every year in his bones. “As long as I have lived, parents have shunned their children for the choices they made. Every species, every race, every world, every century. Parents see a representation of their own pride in their offspring, and in every situation, there are parents like you and parents like me. You wanted your children to make you proud by being another generation of you.” He looked up at her. “I want my children to be whoever they want to be as long as they are happy.”

Maryse didn’t react, and he suspected that, like him, she just didn’t have it in her. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been happy,” she said simply. “Shadowhunters don’t get to be happy often. Nephilim with non-hunting lives in Idris, they get to do those simple things that give them joy. We’re born into this life. We die the same way we were born. Shadowhunters.”

“Your son was born to be a father,” Magnus supplied, and even through his sorrow, he felt some small amount of joy as he looked at Alec’s face. “He is a great Shadowhunter. Alec is a natural leader and a born fighter. But the boy you tasked with practically raising his siblings naturally developed that nurturing side that makes him the man he is now. Max was always supposed to be Alec’s child. Our child.” He smiled weakly. “The Clave gave us Rafael because Alec is the best father he could’ve ever had. I could not handle a single one of our children without him teaching me how to hold a baby properly or how to read their faces when they can’t speak yet. Your son wasn’t born to live the life you did and just serve as a fighter. He was born to raise children who had nobody else and give them all of the love they deserved.” 

Maryse nodded and he turned back, seeing the motion out of the corner of his eyes. “I know,” she said simply. She shook her head. “I wanted my children to be the same as me, but none of them are. They’re so much better than me. They would never ignore their children the way I have mine. They would never ruin their marriage over the children the way I did mine.” She sniffled, tears slipping down her cheeks as she looked at Alec. “He is so much better than I have ever been in every way possible, and I never let myself realize that. Instead of being ashamed, I should have been proud of him. I should’ve been proud of my baby boy.” Magnus watched her shoulders tremble and she gave a shaky whisper. “And now my baby is dying.”

~

When Jace and Isabelle returned, Luke and James returned with them. Maryse had gone, but Magnus was still in the same spot as ever. He looked up from his spot with his head pillowed on the outside of Alec’s thigh and sat up when he saw the extra two. “Luke. Why are you still here?”

“We’ve been working on what happened and why,” James said. “We wanted to know everything before we talk to you about it.”

Luke took a breath. “Do you know someone named Rachel Watson?”

Magnus frowned, trying to think. “The name does sound familiar, but I don’t know.”

“What about Randall Locke?” James asked gently and Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“The French warlock?” he asked, and James nodded, looking at Luke.

Luke grimaced before speaking. “Rachel Watson is a vampire. Not one of Raphael’s, but a vampire in the city. She and Randall Locke planned a hit on Alec.”

“What? Why?” Magnus asked, sitting up straighter, shock settling in.

James and Luke shared a concerned look before Isabelle took pity and reached out to touch Magnus’s hand. “There are some Downworlders out there that don’t really like that Alec is married to you.”

“I know there are,” Magnus said, looking around. “They hate Alec. But that’s been going on for years. Why would they order a hit on him?” he demanded.

“Because Alec’s been reaching out about children.” Everybody looked at Jace, who had returned to his spot at Alec’s bedside, in a chair this time, and was looking at his Parabatai with rage in his face. “He didn’t want you to know and get your hopes up if it doesn’t happen, but he’s been asking around about orphans in the Downworld. He got a lead about a half-fae mundane kid that had been taken in by some warlocks who didn’t want him but didn’t know what to do with him.”

Isabelle nodded. “That’s where we were going. They’d set up a meeting with us. Turns out this Randall Locke guy will do anything for the right price and Rachel Watson and her group of vampires think that it’s bad enough Alec Downworlder children and a husband, but to get even with one being half-fae, all the main Downworlders besides vampires would have some type of alliance with him, and with the Shadowhunters because of it.”

Magnus’s heart sank. “So she decided to _murder_ him? So we can’t get another child and somehow make alliances with all the Downworlders but vampires? I TRAINED RAPHAEL TO BE A VAMPIRE!” he shouted angrily as tears filled his eyes. “The head of the New York Clan, the most powerful vampire in this city, is my _friend_. I found him, just after he was turned, and did what a good sire does with a fledgling! I was like a surrogate sire to him! I love him like family! I don’t need a child with no ties to any others of their species to make us have an alliance!”

“Raphael was the one who tried to warn us,” Luke explained. “Simon is still like a son to me, so Raphael and I have to get along, werewolf and vampire or not. When he heard Rachel Watson bragging about getting rid of Alec Lightwood once and for all, he called me immediately since he knew, after working with James, that I would have his number. I almost called you, but we didn’t want to scare you if it was nothing.”

“But it wasn’t.” Jace lifted his head. “Randall Locke summoned a greater demon and set him free. She paid him to do it and he didn’t care. We had already been attacked by the time Luke got in touch with James, and they all tried to come help us.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know until just now that- that it was a hit on Alec.”

Magnus sucked in a breath, fighting tears. “Has someone found them?” he asked shakily.

Luke nodded. “We took care of it. James helped.”

James nodded. “Luke’s pack helped us, since Raphael and his clan are all stuck indoors. That’s why it took so long to come speak with Isabelle and Jace. We wanted to get it done first.”

Magnus just turned back around to face Alec and let out a weak sob. “Damn it,” he choked out, reaching out once more. “Why can’t people just leave us alone? Why- why do you Shadowhunters hate me and our children and why do Downworlders hate him and our children? Why can nobody accept that our life is not some fucking alliance. I married Alec, not a Shadowhunter. He married me, not the High Warlock of Brooklyn. All we ever did was fall in love,” he gritted out, tightening his hold on Alec’s hand as he looked at his face. 

“Magnus, I’m so sorry-“

Magnus cut James off before he could speak. “If my husband dies, I’m taking my children and leaving,” he decided in a tight, harsh tone. “We’re moving away. I’ll renounce my position as High Warlock. We’re going to join the Mundane world far away from here. I will never have anything to do with any of this ever again. The Shadow World will be dead to us.”

“Magnus, you can’t mean that,” Luke said, and Magnus scoffed bitterly, tears dripping off his chin.

“You’re one to talk.” He lay his head down on the bed beside Alec. “Please leave.”

Jace took up his post again, sitting at Alec’s side with his sole focus on Alec, and nodded. “They can leave, but I’m staying.”

Magnus looked at him and nodded slowly. “Of course you can stay.”

Everyone else left them alone, and Magnus didn’t bother hiding his tears as he began to openly cry, resting his cheek against Alec’s leg once again. He knew Jace was in no position to judge him.

~

Magnus wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he woke up it was because Jace had fallen asleep and slid out of his chair. Magnus looked up, and Jace looked around, shaking his head to clear the sleep from his mind. “Jace?” Magnus asked sleepily and Jace exhaled heavily.

“I’m gonna go check on my nieces and nephews,” he decided, standing.

Magnus groaned. “Are they still home?”

Jace nodded. “Robert took them to school this morning and brought them home this afternoon. The girls don’t know anything’s wrong but Max and Rafael worked out that something’s wrong so he told them you’ll helping take care of Alec after he had an accident.”

Magnus smiled sadly. “My boys are too smart for their own good.”

After Jace left, Magnus laid his head down, rubbing at Alec’s forearm again. “I’m just so tired, Darling.” He bit his lip, closing his eyes as he lay his head down again, resting his cheek against Alec’s thigh. “I miss you. How crazy is that?” he asked in a warbled tone. “I don’t think I’ve gone this long without speaking to you in forever, Alexander.”

“How long s’it been?”

Magnus’s head snapped up and he gasped, almost sure he was hearing things, but Alec’s forearm flexed under his hand and, when he looked, he could see Alec’s eyes were open ever so slightly, looking down at him. “Alec,” he breathed.

“Magnus?” Alec asked in a small, hoarse tone. He shifted some, moving his head, only to groan. “Ow. Hurts.”

Magnus stood up so fast his chair fell over and slammed to the ground. “Alec!” he squeaked, reaching out to touch his face gently. “Oh God. Alec.”

Alec moved, and as he did, his bandaged torso flexed, making him whimper. “Oh _fuck_.”

“Don’t move!” Magnus cried, leaning over him. “Holy shit, don’t move. Please, Darling, just lay still.” 

“Magnus. Shit. What happened?” Alec gasped, eyes opening wider as the pain hit him. “Shit, shit, shit, what the fuck, what the _fuck_?!”

Magnus put a hand on his forehead and held his other hand over Alec’s chest. He couldn’t heal the wounds any more now than he could the night before, but he could at least numb his pain. “Just breathe, please, Alexander, just breathe for me,” he urged as he frantically tried to ease his pain.

After Alec began to relax some, Magnus finally stopped and sagged against the bed, sliding to his knees. “Alec, Alec, you’re awake,” he whispered, reluctant to even blink in case he missed a second of Alec’s eyes open.

“I don’t understand,” Alec said slowly. “Where- am I in the infirmary? What-“

“I thought you were going to die,” Magnus choked out, pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. “Oh Alec,” he cried, brushing his fingers through his hair. He could see color rising in Alec’s cheeks after the exertion of the pain and he had never been happier to see his husband in pain. “You’re alive, you’re awake and you’re alive.”

“Die?” Alec asked, frowning. “What- I”

The doors opened, cutting Alec off, and Jace looked at him and let out a weak laugh. “Holy shit, I thought something felt different!” He ran the length of the infirmary to Alec’s side, a bigger smile on his face than Magnus had ever seen. There were tears on his face as he leaned over and pressed his forehead to Alec’s. “Oh my God, Alec, I thought you were dying, thank you, thank you, thank you,” he breathed.

“So I hear,” Alec said, looking between them. “What happened? We were on our way to a call about a demon, and now I’m in the infirmary and…” He looked at Magnus. “Were you talking about missing me? How long ago was-“

“Nearly twenty-four hours,” Jace said, and Magnus noticed for the first time that there was no longer sunlight coming through the stained glass windows. 

“What?!” Alec asked in shock.

Magnus sniffled. “The Silent Brothers had already given up when I got here last night. They said they did all they could and your strength was failing and they said it was all a matter of whether you healed faster than you expired.”

Jace stood up suddenly. “I’ve got to go tell … everybody. I’ll be back soon, Alec, I promise,” he said, squeezing his brother’s hand before running off again.

Magnus just sat, gazing at Alec, so amazed to see his eyes open that he didn’t dare disrupt every moment of it he got to witness.

~

After finally waking up, Alec began to heal much faster. It was a relief to everyone. Magnus even left his side long enough to go call the children and give Maryse time to talk to Alec alone. 

For all Magnus hated that woman, he knew firsthand what it was like to be a parent and even he couldn’t fault her for wanting to make amends in the face of almost losing her child. He wanted Alec to have some relationship with his mother and he wanted for her to see the error of her ways and fix it. Alec had once been their mother’s favorite and Magnus knew firsthand what it was like to not feel loved by your parents. He wanted something good to come from all of this, and if that was Maryse learning to be a mother again, then that was wonderful.

After everyone left Alec alone to rest, however, Magnus came back to his side. He had been assured Alec would be okay, and he almost left to go home to his children, but he didn’t want Alec to be alone just yet. 

Alec stroked a hand through Magnus’s hair where he lay, his head resting gently on Alec’s upper arm, careful not to touch his bandaged chest, even though he was pretty much healed. “I’m sorry,” Alec said softly, looking down at his face. “I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry someone hated me enough to want to kill me.”

Magnus shuddered. “Fuck her and fuck him and I hope ‘taken care of’ means Luke ate them both,” he said bluntly. “Try to murder my husband.” He growled. “I wanted to rage. I wanted to hunt them down and kill them slowly. I don’t ever want that, but I wanted it, Alec. We were all sure we were sitting here, waiting on you to die. I didn’t feel much of anything but I felt anger when I learned it was on purpose.”

“There never was a boy,” Alec said in a small, sad tone. “The child was made up.” 

Magnus reached up, cupping his cheek in his hand. “Why were you looking into orphans, Alexander? Don’t get me wrong, I know we had talked about adopting another child, but why were you seeking them out?”

Alec smiled sadly. “Because even if they weren’t for us, I know there are so many unwanted children floating around in the Downworld and I just-“ He shrugged. “The thought of a child living life knowing they aren’t loved is personal to me. I’m an adult and, before this, I thought my mom might never speak to me again, and it hurts. I can’t imagine a little kid feeling that way. There are other families who would take them and love them. I just- I wanted to find these kids and help them. Even if you and I can’t adopt another, I just wanted to help children feel loved.”

Magnus smiled around a lump in his throat and he exhaled shakily, eyes tearing slightly. “Oh Alexander.” He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. “You have no idea how happy I am you’re okay. You’re the kindest, most wonderful person I’ve ever met in my entire life and I’m not ready to lose you yet. You make everything a simple answer. You want to make children feel loved. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just as if that’s the most obvious thing ever.”

“It is,” Alec argued with a smile. “The world would be a better place if every child had someone who loved them, and unlike the Mundane world, warlocks and werewolves and whatever half-something hybrid children there are end up just getting shoved around on whoever will feed them for a while. We don’t have foster care in our world, for example.” He sobered up some. “And you will lose me someday, Magnus,” he reminded him gently.

Magnus nodded. “I know.” He let out a weak laugh. “God knows it will be the worst day of my life,” he added. “But I fully plan on you living to be in your eighties or even older, Alexander.” He smiled, stroking Alec’s cheek. “You’re thirty-two. I expect at least fifty more years. Not nine.”

Alec turned and kissed Magnus’s palm, raising his hand to hold Magnus’s palm against his mouth. “It won’t hurt any less when I’m eighty, Magnus.” He turned and leaned down, kissing Magnus’s hair. 

“I know that,” Magnus said in a small, quiet voice. “But you won’t be leaving three year old daughters who won’t even remember you, or a ten year old who will live hundreds of years knowing he only ever had ten of them with his dad, or a Nephilim child without another Nephilim parent to guide him when he takes his Marks.”

Alec hesitated. “What?” he asked slowly, and Magnus snorted.

“I know he has decided to become a Shadowhunter,” he said with a small shrug. “I was waiting on you two to tell me.”

Alec smiled bashfully. “He just worries what you’ll say. He wants to be a Shadowhunter, but he’s afraid that you’ll think he is going to become ‘a Shadowhunter’,” he said and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Darling, Rafael is a kinder, more patient, more focused person than even you, Super Dad,” he teased. “I have faith he will only ever encourage more positive change, not fall into the same prejudices of the others.” He smiled at Alec lovingly. “As long as he has you here for him when he starts his journey.”

Alec nodded. “I’m going to be with him the whole way. And even if today had happened the way you feared, Jace would be there for him.” Magnus closed his eyes against the thought and Alec looked at him. “Magnus, this is a good time to talk about something.”

“You need to talk about going to sleep and resting,” Magnus chastised but Alec shook his head, giving him a serious look. “Alexander?”

“One day, Magnus, I am going to die,” Alec said simply. “We’ve never really talked about it.”

“Can’t you imagine why?” Magnus asked weakly and Alec kissed his head.

“I know,” he said softly. “But we need to talk about it. And you never know, what if something happened to you? We need to just make sure we’ve discussed what will happen when the time comes.” He rested his cheek against the top of Magnus’s hair. “I just want to know that, should I die young, you and the kids will be okay.”

Magnus snorted. “I told them today that, if you died, I was leaving with my children and hiding in the mundane world somewhere far away. If someone _murdered_ you because you are my husband, I was going to be done with them all. Shadowhunters hate us because of me and Downworlders hate us because of you. I don’t want to be a leader among people who hate us for doing nothing but falling in love.”

Alec sighed. “I can understand this time why you feel that way,” he agreed. “But in the future, if something happens to me, you can’t just pack up our children’s lives and start over if I die in a non-murdery way.”

Magnus chuckled. “Non-murdery.” He nuzzled Alec’s arm. “I know I can’t. If Rafael is going to begin training, I can’t leave this world for anything.”

“I really do know how you feel,” Alec reassured him. “Because you aren’t the only one who thinks about the dangers in this life. You’re a high-profile warlock and people like you have enemies. I know that the plan is for me to live another fifty years and you be there for the kids when I die and be there for Max for a very long time, but I also know it’s always possible something happens to you before me,” he said in a tight tone and Magnus rubbed his hand comfortingly. “Honestly, if something were to happen now, with Max still learning about his powers, I don’t know what I would do for him. Without you, he would be in trouble. He still has so far to go with his magic.”

Magnus had never really thought about it. “Probably you could go to Ragnor for help. But who knows, if somebody killed me, it would send a lot of people further into hiding. Catarina will never leave her hospital, but I don’t know if she would be willing to risk her safety if I was murdered.” He exhaled heavily. “I guess there are things we need to talk about, huh?”

“If I die, Jace will help you with anything. If we die together, Isabelle or Max would help you with the kids,” he reassured him. “If you and I both die, Jace will get our children.”

Magnus snorted. “Good thing we taught them good manners already,” he joked and Alec snickered. Magnus looked up at him, eyes wide as he took in Alec’s face. “We need to get some plans in place,” he decided. “When it comes to Rafael, we know that someone here at the Institute will help him since he’s going to be a Shadowhunter, but we’ve always just talked about Luke helping the girls when they start to grow into their werewolf traits, we’ve never cemented anything. And just like you said, with Max, he needs someone if something happens to me and I don’t actually know for sure Ragnor would risk himself like that. I like to think my oldest and dearest friend would do it out of respect for me, but I need to find someone who will for sure take over and help Max if something happens to me.”

Alec nodded. “I think Luke would do it, for sure, but we should talk to him. Make certain he knows what our wishes are. And if not Ragnor, we should ask Catarina. I want for everything to be certain so that, should something terrible happen, our kids are taken care of beyond just ‘Jace adopts them’.”

“I love you.” Magnus smiled at the eyebrow Alec raised and reached up to stroke his cheek. “I just wanted to say it. Remind you.” He grinned playfully. “Never know, you could’ve forgot.”

Alec leaned down and stretched to press a kiss to Magnus’s lips, chaste and tender, before settling into his pillow. “One thing I will never forget is that you love me, Magnus.”

Magnus smiled a very odd smile. It showed pain but joy and love as well. “When you die, Alec, I’m keeping our last name how it is. Forever.” He shook his head. “You and I both know that eventually, some day, I might find someone else, and I know you’ve told me before you want me to be happy after you’re gone, but I just want you to know that I’m never going to change my name. Even if by some crazy circumstance I marry someone else centuries from now, I don’t want to change my name again.” He smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ll ever love anybody the way I love you, because what we have and what we’ve become is something entirely different from anything I knew was possible. But even if I do, you were still the first, and I wouldn’t ever be with someone who doesn’t respect that you gave me the most important period of my life.”

Alec smiled and nodded. “I always figured you would keep my name, but it’s nice to hear it anyways. And I know you,” he joked. “You would never marry someone who didn’t understand how important I was to you. You could live a thousand lifetimes and this one will always be the one in which you became a father four times.” He tilted his head. “So far,” he amended quietly.

Magnus inhaled deeply and gave a relaxed sigh. “If it happens, I welcome another child, Alec, but for now, everything is perfect in my life. If we never have another child, I will still be completely happy.”

“Me, too,” Alec said, closing his eyes. “I should sleep,” he said and Magnus smiled, watching Alec relax some. “I love you, Magnus.”

Magnus kissed his shoulder as he slid down and got comfortable next to him. “Goodnight, Darling.”

~

“Daddy, |Daddy! Look!” Iman turned a cartwheel in the middle of the floor and Alec smiled at her.

“That’s great, Angel,” he said brightly. “I would clap, but then I’d lose this braid and have to start all over,” he said, looking down at Jamila’s hair. 

He was almost done braiding Jamila’s hair and he was pretty sure she would throw a tantrum if he wasn’t done very soon. Iman liked her hair loose and fluffy, her curls free to bounce, but Jamila liked her hair in braids along her scalp and pulled up into puffy little pigtails. Magnus could do her braids sometimes, but Alec, amusingly, was better at keeping the lines straight than Magnus. Alec was actually really good at doing hair. 

“Well look at you!” Alec looked up when Magnus and Luke came in, and Iman jumped around Luke’s legs.

“Luke! Luke! Look!” she said, then turned another cartwheel. 

Luke clapped. “That’s awesome,” he said, leaning over to give her a high-five. He looked up at Alec and snickered. “It’s totally my turn next,” he joked and Alec looked at Luke’s shortly shorn hair and made a dramatic thinking face.

“Not sure what I can do there, sorry,” he said, then smiled when Magnus came and sat beside him. “Hey, Babe,” he said, giving him a quick kiss before looking down and finishing off the last braid. “Alright, Mila, almost done,” he promised, grabbing the little colorful hair ties to pull her hair into two little pigtails, smiling when the ends of the braids disappeared into the bunches of hair smoothly. “There we go,” he said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “How’s your head?” he asked, and Jamila just nodded.

“It’s okay, thanks, Daddy!” she said, tilting her head back to kiss his cheek before scrambling up to run over to where Iman was trying to do a backbend in the space they had cleared for her little tumbling kick. “Nooo, Iman, like this!” she said, and Alec laughed when she tried to do a backbend and just ended up sliding down onto the floor with a frustrated little growl.

Magnus nudged him playfully. “Can you do that, Alexander,” he teased, and Alec smirked.

“You joke, but I can,” he said, gesturing to his back. “Rune for flexibility.”

Luke chuckled, then looked over at the twins. “Magnus and I were talking. They’re starting to get really strong and active. I should probably start teaching them how to reign in their strength.”

Alec grinned. “You’re more than welcome any time. Just tire them out, make it easier on us,” he said, slinging his arm around Magnus’s shoulders to pull him into his side. “Right, Babe?”

Magnus groaned. “These children are exhausting, Luke, I swear to God.”

Alec opened his mouth to add something, and there was a loud thud down the hall. “Ahh!” Alec and Magnus turned, only to hear thumps as someone ran towards the living room. “DAD! PAPA! Max keeps hiding in weird places!” Rafael complained as he came into the living room. “He was _on top of my dresser_!”

Max’s smaller thumps came after Rafael. “I’ve got to practice being a ninja!” Max argued as he came sliding into the living room, cheeks flushed purple beneath his blue skin. “And he put me in the closet and turned off the lights!”

Magnus glared at Rafael. “Did you put your brother in the closet?”

Rafael grumbled. “He keeps scaring me-“

“And I don’t like the dark, Rafi!” Max argued, and Alec held out a hand to quiet them both.

“Max, Rafael, quiet.” He looked at Max. “Max, you are not a ninja just because you took one karate class with Aunt Izzy. The ‘don’t try karate on your brothers and sisters’ rule does not mean ‘but you can hide like a ninja and scare them’, got it?”

Max gave him an innocent look. “But I didn’t do karate, so I can’t get in trouble,” he tried and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“New rule: Papa and Dad can make new rules without telling anybody,” Magnus clarified. “So yes, you can get in trouble for scaring your brother, what the crap, Max? There shouldn’t need to be a rule for that!”

Alec started to say something else, but there was a thud and Iman gasped and then started crying, even though she had only fallen from her knees to her hands and knees. “DAAADDYYY! JAMILA PUSHED ME!”

“NU-UH! DID NOT!” Jamila shouted, jumping to her feet. “Papa, I did not!” she cried, running over to Magnus. “Tell her I did not!”

“Yes you did!” Iman said, running over to Rafael, grabbing him around the middle. “She was mean to me, Rafi!” she cried, blinking up at him with dramatic crocodile tears in her eyes. “She’s mean!”

“I am not!” Jamila argued. “Rafi, tell her I’m not mean!”

“Are to!”

“Am not!”

“HEY!” Magnus said loudly, quieting all four kids and startling Luke a little, making him laugh at his own little jump. Magnus gave them all stern looks. “Iman, she didn’t push you. You just fell over. Jamila, don’t try to make your brother take your side when he couldn’t have seen since he was facing us.” He looked up. “Rafael, don’t put your brother in a closet, Jesus, and Max, _stop_ scaring people! You nearly gave Captain Whiskers a heart attack this morning when you were _inside the cat food cabinet_ ,” he stressed. He held out both hands. “Now, everybody, say sorry.”

“But Papa-“

“I didn’t even-“

“She-“

“He-“

“Enough,” Alec interrupted, glaring at all four of them. “Say you’re sorry and hug. Now,” he said, leaving no room for arguments.

Every one of their kids grumbled half-assed little ‘sorry’s and reluctantly pulled each other into a group hug, making faces the whole time. Magnus just bit back a giggle at the grumpy look on each little face and nodded. “Alright, now you can go play again, but be sweet! You’re brothers and sisters for goodness sake, act like it.” 

“Rafe,” Alec said, catching him before he walked off. “Let me see your arm,” he said, and Rafael held out his left arm to Alec.

Alec pushed his sleeve up and looked at Rafael’s brand new rune, checking that it was healing correctly. “It doesn’t hurt at all, Dad. I told you, it’s fine,” Rafael said, and Alec smiled, rubbing his thumb over his son’s Voyance rune as he looked into his eyes.

“I just worry, I’m sorry.” He pulled him into a hug. “Too many horror stories of Marks getting infected if they don’t take. You know me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rafael squirmed out of his hug. “Can I go read now?” he asked, and Alec nodded, pulling his sleeve back down for him.

“Sure, just don’t lock your brother in another closet,” he reminded him, watching as Rafael ran for the hall again, only stopping to pat at Iman’s puffy hair to bug her before carrying on his way.

Luke looked around and shook his head at what he’d just watched. “Is this every day for you? Hyper kids and petty arguments?”

“Yep,” Alec said simply.

“Every single day,” Magnus stressed, dramatically falling back against Alec. “So seriously, any time, take them and run the energy out of them. Hell, take the boys, too! They aren’t werewolves, maybe, but God knows they have enough energy to fuel a small country.”

Alec grinned. “C’mon, Luke, don’t you want some more kids? You and Jocelyn are still young enough-“

“Oh hell no,” he said bluntly, making them both laugh. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Mind if I talk to Iman and Jamila? I can probably get James to let me train them at the Institute, so they’re safe. I want to see if they respond to werewolf cues first, though.”

Magnus gestured to them welcomingly. “Sure, go ahead. We’re about to start dinner, so we won’t interrupt,” he said, and Luke walked over to crouch down beside the girls to talk to them. Magnus started to get up, but Alec pulled him into his lap when he started to get up. “Alec! Ha, what’re you doing?”

Alec nuzzled into his neck, hugging him close. “Just a minute, then we can go start dinner.” He shifted his head and laid it over Magnus’s chest, listening to his heart. Magnus relaxed into his hold and kissed the top of his head, fingers straying absently to the end of the car that stuck out from under the collar of Alec’s shirt. They had hoped his scars would fade, but they weren’t fading very fast, so there was no telling. 

“What’s this about, Alexander?” Magnus asked, and Alec grumbled as he nuzzled him.

“Nothing. Just love you.” He pulled back some and smiled up at Magnus, who let their foreheads fall together. “I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty happy, even if our kids are crazy.”

Magnus beamed. “I’m happy, too, darling.” He winked. “And our kids are totally crazy. What else could you expect, though? They’re our kids.”

Alec grinned and pecked his lips and then, in one move, stood up, taking Magnus with him, making Magnus giggle and wrap his legs around Alec to hold himself up. “Definitely what’s wrong with them,” Alec agreed, simply carrying a laughing Magnus with him to the kitchen so they could feed their crazy children.

When Alec put him down on the counter with one last kiss, Magnus just leaned back and smiled as he watched Alec digging around in the refrigerator for the stuff they needed to start dinner for their family.

**Author's Note:**

> I have loved writing this series and I really appreciate each and every person who read this series along the way.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Very Good News](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10581354) by [Kimmy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmy/pseuds/Kimmy)




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